Prabhu defends bullet train, says it will bring new technology

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday defended the bullet train project and said it will usher in new technology in the country and lead to enhanced railway safety.

Cooperation with Japan will help India get technological know-how as Japan runs the world’s most safe train services, the minister told the Lok Sabha members.

“The technology to be used for bullet trains will help improve the services of normal trains and the integration of signalling system,” Prabhu said.

Prabhu said the huge funds earmarked for the bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in Gujarat was actually based on the financial support from Japan and will not create hurdles in the running of “normal express trains” in the country.

During a debate in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday on the demand for grants for the Railways, Prabhu brushed aside criticism of the expensive bullet trains, saying the government had managed to secure a soft loan of Rs.1 lakh crore from Japan at 0.1 percent interest.